DEATHSTROKE VS: The Janissary

The Janissary
Art by Gabriel Morrissette

In March of 1993, writer, Steven Grant stepped in for Marv Wolfman for four bi-weekly issues of Deathstroke The Terminator (1991). Grant's first issues (#s 22-23) made up a two-part story titled "The Quality of Mercy," in which Deathstroke was hired by a U.S. government agency to take down a Neo-Nazi leader named deHaan for kidnapping the son of an American diplomat and holding him prisoner at his militaristic compound. Slade, wary of the offer, ultimately accepted the job because he wanted to, in some way, make up for losing his own two sons. 

Slade managed to infiltrate deHaan's compound and free the boy but found himself confronted by deHaan. deHann claimed that he himself was working with the agency and begged for an explanation as to why he was being "burned," specifically mentioning a man named Campbell. But out of nowhere, the rescued boy shoots and kills deHaan before Slade could get any more information.

Slade was right to be suspicious of this job as the real purpose for his involvement in this operation was simply to flush the boy put into the open. Once the boy was free, the government agents killed him at their first opportunity. The same agents then tried to take out Slade in an effort to cover their tracks, but, being ridiculously overmatched by the Terminator, failed miserably. Having been both deceived and double-crossed on this job, Deathstroke was out for blood.

In Deathstroke The Terminator #23, once Campbell found out that his men failed to eliminate Deathstroke, and fearing for his life, he hired a young, "up-and-comer" assassin known only as the Janissary to terminate the Terminator. The self-professed "Top Five" mercenary, while recognizing the monumental task put to him, was so confident he could handle Deathstroke that he offered Campbell a money-back guarantee.

After a few days, Slade made his way to a Los Angeles Federal building to infiltrate the offices of the Defense Intelligence Agency. After tearing through the D.I.A., Slade kidnapped and "aggressively interrogated" Agent Shea in a secluded desert location until he learned where Campbell was holed up. By the time Slade returned to L.A. word was out that he was in town resulting in an unplanned car ride with an old government contact named Kleiner. Just as Slade explained to Kleiner that he and deHaan were set up by Campbell, the Janissary launched his first surprise attack on the Terminator.

Janissary getting the drop on Deathstroke.
Art by Gabriel Morrissette

After a short, but incredibly destructive melee on the streets of L.A., Slade made his escape as he felt that taking care of Campbell was a higher professional priority than dealing with the hotshot merc. Slade next boarded a train in an attempt to keep a low profile while zeroing in on Campbell's safehouse. Unfortunately for Slade, Janissary tracked him to the train and took a hostage demanding that Slade change into his professional gear so it wouldn't appear that he killed a normal "helpless fossil." Slade obliged and the two assassins left the train for their decisive battle, which is depicted below with art by Gabriel Morrissette.

After besting the Janissary, Slade showed uncharacteristic mercy toward him by allowing him to live. Though it was never explained in the story, it seemed that Slade probably saw a lot of his son Grant in the Janissary, which was probably a callback to the reasoning Slade used to accept the original job in Deathstroke The Terminator #22. It seems to me that this version of the Janissary would be a pretty intriguing foil for Deathstroke at some point in the future. He was shown to be skilled enough to hold his own against Slade hand-to-hand in this story, but add some time, experience, and a burning desire for a face-saving rematch and it could add up to a story I'd definitely be interested in reading.

On an unrelated note, is it my imagination or does this version of the Janissary bear a striking resemblance to Marvel Comics' Death-Stroke? I wonder if that was intended? Nah!

Marvel Comic's Death-Stroke and DC Comics' Janissary. Hmmmm.
Art by Steve Leialoha and Gabriel Morrissette

Deadpool and other Deathstroke "Homages"

It is apropos that the phrase, "there is nothing new under the sun," has appeared in a myriad of different sources. One source feeding off of a prior one, changing the wording to fit specific circumstances, but leaving the general meaning intact. This concept can also be applied to works of art, be they visual art, music, literature, or even comic books. Do we have Superman without Hercules or Doc Savage? Does Batman exist in a world without the Scarlet Pimpernel or Zorro? Is there a Darth Vader without Doctor Doom or Darkseid? Jack Kirby didn't think so (Lookin' at you, George Lucas).

Deathstroke is no exception to this phenomenon. Many people point out the similarities between Deathstroke and Marvel Comics' Taskmaster. Given their occupations, color scheme, and George Pérez as a co-creator it seems reasonable that the Taskmaster may have influenced the creation of Deathstroke, though the time between their debuts probably rules that out. I personally see more similarities to Takao Saito's Golgo 13 than the Taskmaster, but that post has already been written.

What can be argued is the Deathstroke has inspired his share of...we'll be diplomatic and call them homages, some of which we will examine here. For the purposes of this post, an homage will have the following characteristics. One, the homage must be a "badass" mercenary that is a master of both melee weapons and firearms regardless of their personality. Two, the homage must have a mostly-full body costume with a completely covered face. And three, a really, really ominous codename that evokes impending death.

The first, and most blatant "homage" was Chris Clairmont and Steve Leialoha's Death-Stroke for Marvel Comics in 1981. More about this "homage" can found in an earlier post by clicking here.

This image just about sums it up.

The second and most obvious (and ridiculously successful) example is Deadpool. Created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld in 1991 for Marvel Comics' New Mutants (1983) #98. Though Liefeld still denies it, Nicieza has pretty well confirmed that Deadpool, in his original form, was indeed an homage to Deathstroke, who was a favorite character of the pair (I mean Wade Wilson, really?). Deadpool would eventually morph into his the lunatic, fourth-wall breaking, "merc with the mouth" form we all know today through the subsequent work of writers Joe Casey and Christopher Priest. While I have to admit, I did enjoy both of the Deadpool films, the character itself doesn't really appeal to me. I feel the image to the left accurately captures my take on Deadpool in the form of an old school SAT-style analogy. With that being said, let's move on to the next Deathstroke homage.

Art by Dan Norton and Karl Kesel

Next up is a Deathstroke homage from Homage Studios' Jim Lee and Bandon Choi. Debuting in the pages of WildCATS: Covert Action Teams (1992) #1 was a Kherubim half-breed that threw his lot in with the Daemonite Helspont, the sworn enemy his own people. Pike was Helspont's number one agent of death and destruction against Lord Emp's WildC.A.T.S. team. 

The visual and thematic similarities to Deathstroke are more than obvious. Mercenary? Check. Master of firearms? Check. As comfortable killing you with swords as he is with guns? Check. Battlesuit with a full-face mask? Check. Use of an energy battle staff that can be separated into two smaller staves? Check. Threatening name? Pike, as in "your head on a!" Check. Pike is a stone cold brutal killer that is not beyond turning his back on a lover if she failed to follow his orders. After Flashpoint, Pike found himself in conflict with Katar Hol, the Savage Hawkman. Let's just say that Pike has more than just a passing resemblance to Deathstroke and move on. 

Deathtrap
Art by Juan Ferreyra

Jim Lee and Brandon Choi were not done "homaging" Deathstroke when they created Pike. No, they had one more menacing merc for us in the form of the dastardly Deathtrap. First appearing in Stormwatch (1993) #1, Deathtrap, aka Seamus O'Brienn, was once affiliated with a Northern Irish separatist group during the ethnic and religious conflict from the 1980s and 90s known colloquially as "the Troubles." Deathtrap later became a thorn in the side of Stormwatch, and Stormwatch member Backlash specifically. After Flashpoint, Deathtrap found himself both up against and later aligned with the New Suicide Squad. 

Unlike other Deathstroke homages, Deathtrap had some unusual powers. Not only was Deathtrap a highly skilled mercenary with guns and melee weapons, but Deathtrap could also instantly fashion firearms out of whatever materials were at his disposal. As apparent from the image to the left, he once created a gun made from wood and another one from, of all things, floor tiles. Deathtrap is without a doubt one of the stranger Deathstroke homages.

One of the newest Deathstroke homages came to us from Rob Liefeld (there's that guy again), Joshua Williamson, and Eduardo Pansica and is the only one on this list that has actually faced Deathstroke in combat. In Deathstroke (2011) #13 the assassin Deadborn was hired to take out Deathstroke himself. Deadborn was created in a government lab that attempted to create another super soldier after they created Deathstroke. Deadborn was considerably larger and stronger than Deathstroke and highly durable causing him great difficulty when engaging him one-on-one. But Deathstroke, with the aid of Zealot, got the upper-hand on Deadborn ending the conflict by cutting off his arm.

Dearborn vs. Deathstroke
Art by Eduardo Pansica

If anyone looks hard enough, it's possible to examine almost anything to the point that the inspirations that spurred it into being become apparent. Deathstroke the Terminator has undoubtedly inspired a number of creators to come up with their own badass assassins. Death-Stroke, Deadpool, Pike, Deathtrap, and Deadborn are just the ones that came to my mind first. It's even getting to the point that Deathstroke's homages have homages (Red Tool? Death Masque? anyone?). In any event, if there truly is nothing new under the sun, then I suppose (Deathstroke) imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery. Deathstroke...often imitated; never duplicated.

Deathstroke and Friends (?) Micro-Heroes: Completely Miscellaneous Edition

Now for the fifth round of Micro-Heroes related to Deathstroke, but this time it's a hodgepodge of random images for which I had no other thematic use. And still, I don't know who made these.

Deathstroke with two eyes, Deathstroke from the first "blue period"

Pirate Deathstroke & Tyrant Aquaman from Flashpoint: Deathstroke and the Curse of the Ravager (2011)

President Slade Wilson & Rose Wilson from the Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010) film

High-Res Pre and Post Flashpoint, Ikon Suit Deathstroke from DC Rebirth

Arkham Origins Deathstroke, Deathstroke from Justice League (2017) film

Marvel Comics' crappy Death-Stroke, DC Comics' crappy Dead...

 Old School Nightwing, Old School Jericho, Old School Terra

Rose Wilson in civilian attire

Adeline Kane, Ravager (Grant Wilson), Black Lantern Grant Wilson

Ravager (Bill Walsh), Ravager (Wade DeFarge)

Dare the Terminator (Slade Murdock) & Catsai (Elektra Kyle) from Amalgam Comics' Assassins (1996)

The Terrible Tale of Marvel Comics' Death-Stroke

Yep, Death-Stroke just said that $#!+.
Art by Steve Leialoha

If imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery, then Marvel Comics writer, Chris Claremont must have really loved Deathstroke. In 1981, Claremont was more than five years into his seminal run on Uncanny X-Men (1963), which had experienced a revival and was one of the most popular and best selling comic book titles of the late 1970s and into the early 80s. 

But in the fall of 1980, Marv Wolfman and George Pérez relaunched DC Comics' Teen Titans with the New Teen Titans (1980). Wolfman and Pérez returned popular DC teen characters such as Robin, Wonder Girl, and Kid Flash in addition to a newly renamed Changeling, the angst-filled Cyborg, the dark and mysterious Raven, and the alluring alien sex-symbol, Starfire. And by issue #2, Wolfman and Pérez introduced an extremely charismatic, one-eyed, Terminator in blue and orange battle gear. The popularity of the New Teen Titans heroes (and a certain bad-ass villain) skyrocketed the title to the top of the sales charts and made itself serious competition to Claremont's band of mutant heroes.

By 1981, in addition to his duties on Uncanny X-Men, Claremont also wrote Marvel's Spider-Woman (1978) title. In Spider-Woman #39, Claremont decided to poke a little fun at his "distinguished competition" by lampooning Wolfman and Pérez's breakout villain, Deathstroke. Claremont's "master assassin," Death-Stroke (the hyphen means it's original), was contracted by Yakuza gangsters to murder Dan Ishima, a friend of Spider-Woman's alter ego, Jessica Drew. To assist Death-Stroke in his deadly work is his murderous crew of mercenary assassin named, the Terminators (that's correct: Death-Stroke and his Terminators). Once Spider-Woman arrived on the scene and engaged Death-Stroke in hand-to-hand combat, she made relatively quick work on him, despite his use of self-described "snazzy moves," and an always dangerous, "energy blade" that was capable of slicing a steel girder in twain. Death-Stroke would not make another appearance until his final one about a decade later in 1991 in the pages of Captain America (1968) #395 where he was killed while auditioning for a spot in the Red Skull's Skeleton Crew. That's right, Death-Stroke died during a job interview.

Whether it's his cleverly (?) hyphenated name or the ease of his defeat at the hands of Spider-Woman, Death-Stroke was clearly Claremont having a bit of fun at Wolfman, Pérez, and DC Comics' expense. Marvel apparently got the joke as evidenced by his ridiculous death. But I suppose as a parody character Death-Stroke isn't the worst I've seen. I mean he's no Red Tool...or Death Masque for that matter (I know; I'm sorry). In any event, enjoy the eight panels of glory that was Death-Stroke vs. Spider-Woman posted below.

Art by Steve Leialoha